Adventures in Volunteering

Integrating travel and volunteerism is a surefire way to leave footprints wherever your next adventure might take you. A guide to short and long-term overseas opportunities.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

American Field Service
Founded in 1914 to transport wounded French soldiers during the First World War, the American Field Service has emerged into an international volunteer organization, providing intercultural learning opportunities to over 314,200 participants in 50 countries around the world. In addition to offering an education-based Youth Exchange program, AFS Interculture Canada provides all-inclusive community service-oriented placements, immersing participants in the cultural and socio-economic realities of their host country.

The Community Service program runs for five to six months and includes projects ranging from human rights and women’s equity to community development and public health assistance. A shorter two-month Summer Intensive Program is available for those who want to volunteer but cannot afford to take several months off.

Whether you are interested in working with street children in Brazil or assisting at a rural hospital in Thailand, AFS can provide you with an experience that matches your personal goals and areas of interest.
Tel: 800.361.7248

Change for Children Association
For 30 years, the Change for Children Association (CFCA) has been supporting sustainable community-led development programs in the Global South, working to meet the locally identified needs of host communities.

Basic human needs, alternative education, capacity development, child protection, health and nutrition, HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, cultural and environmental preservation, human rights promotion and sustainable agriculture are just some of the areas that CIDA-sponsored interns can work in throughout South and Central America and Africa.

The 10-month internship placements are split between a four-month preparation period in Edmonton and six months abroad. Education Coordinator Fiona Cavanagh emphasizes the vital role that interns play in maintaining local relationships: “we provide young professionals with experience and skills in International Development while continuing our partnerships throughout the world.”
Tel: 780.448.1505

Christian Children’s Fund of Canada
When American Dr. J. Calvitt Clarke founded the China Children’s Fund to care for Chinese-Japanese orphans of the war in 1938, he began what would later morph into the Christian Children’s Fund (CCF), with a Canadian delegation forming in 1960.

In collaboration with colleagues in developing countries, the CCFC emphasizes child and community development, beginning with basic assistance and eventually emphasizing self-help and independence.

The CCFC offers nine-month CIDA internships for post-secondary graduates to gain work experience in one of four development sectors: water and sanitation, health care and nutrition, education, and micro-enterprise development. Interns, who must be between the ages of 19 and 30 to apply, have the opportunity to experience the cultures of Ethiopia, Ghana and Nicaragua while volunteering to help children and their families in need.
Tel: 800.263.5437

International Association for Transformation
In 1973, David Durrance, a schoolteacher from British Columbia, began sponsoring orphans in the Philippines to schools and universities during an extended trip through Southeast Asia. After several years of funding sponsorships himself, Durrance founded the International Association for Transformation (IAT) in 1979 to focus on multicultural youth development, environmental protection and restoration, and tropical agriculture and organic farming.

Fast forward 27 years and IAT is still focused on development in the Philippines. Currently, IAT is looking for volunteers with experience in computer technology, webpage design, environmental preservation, teaching or tutoring and business start-up to foster sustainable development initiatives in day care, leadership training, environmental protection and alternative technology.

Projects and volunteer costs are funded through revenue generated from eco-adventure tours run by IAT, leaving volunteers the single expense of air transportation. The program is flexible, but Durrance encourages volunteers to commit to at least six months abroad to allow for a thorough experience.
Tel: 250.744.3420

Rooftops Canada
Since 1997, Rooftops Canada has placed over 67 interns with partner organizations in Africa, Asia and Latin America to improve not only housing conditions in disadvantaged regions, but also to build fully sustainable communities through a diversity of volunteer positions. Past CIDA youth interns have done legal research on housing and land rights, architectural design, developed HIV/AIDS training modules, planned micro-finance projects and addressed special needs housing policies.

Founded as the international development program of the Co-Op Housing Federation of Canada in 1984, Rooftops has always recognized that “housing is about more than just putting up buildings,” says Program Officer Genevieve Drouin. Interns work on the logistical side of housing operations, often taking a co-operative project from the preliminary planning stage straight through to construction during their six-month placement.

As per CIDA requirements, interns must be graduates of a university or college program and be between 19 and 30 years of age. Some language proficiency may be required, depending on the needs of partner organizations and the type of work involved.
Tel: 416.366.1445

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